Testimonials

GLENN’S MAGIC REALLY WORKS

I recently revisited one of my original attempts at screenplay writing. I always liked the story, but never wrote more than 25 pages. As I read my half page narratives, seven sentence character descriptions and complete lack of scene setups, I started to feel very lucky for what has happened since that crap went on paper.That was three scripts ago and what happened was Glenn Benest. He gives writers the tools necessary to say more by writing less. To now be able to use smashcuts, montages, intercuts, voice overs and even to have a reader listen to a helicopter in the next scene while ending the current one isn’t just plain fun, it’s absolutely necessary.

I’ve been to two EXPO’S now and have walked the mosh pit of 4000 new writers trying to sell stories five minutes at a time. Confidence is key in this arena.
Glenn makes sure your work comes through as you think you are telling it.

If you can’t do that… then all you’re doing is entertaining yourself.

–Tracy Crockett

BENEST IS THE BEST

Three words: Knowlegable, sensitive, inspirational. Glenn Benest has the capacity to move a script forward with insight and creativity. He takes the writer into novel aspects of the story and the characters that allows the writer to develop the script into something far more intriguing than first envisioned. We grow as writers and as individuals. If you enjoy a group atmosphere join one of Glenn’s groups and get a kick start from well versed, creative writers who give you wonderful slants on your project.

–M.L. Gemmill

Glenn is a fantastic teacher and motivator. After a career in television (story editor on “Laverne & Shirley,” “Double Trouble” and “Charlie & Company,”) I wanted to get into features and came to his workshop with a script that had a good story, but in much need of work. With Glenn’s guidance, the script became more layered, has more texture and is much funnier than the original. The first person I gave it to is a producer who wanted to option it before she even finished reading it. As a successful writer himself, Glenn knows how to give notes that really make a script come alive.

—Susan Lindner

When I met Glenn over five years ago, I knew nothing about screenwriting. All I had was the seed of an idea and a dream of turning it into a story.

Now, I’m writing two screenplays for hire, one for Revolution Studios and the other for Warner Brothers. It’s remarkable how much the development meetings are like Glenn’s workshop–a true collaboration. Apart from story structure and character development, what I learned from Glenn is that writing is a process. It doesn’t always come out right the first time and that’s why the workshop is so helpful. With Glenn as our group teacher and moderator, we’re able to trade story and character ideas with one another–all of which help to bring our screenplays to the next level. I am grateful to still be in his workshop.

—Bridget Friend

Glenn’s Class Rocks!

I can’t say enough good things about Glenn Benest as a screenwriting mentor. I met Glenn in 2007, just after I moved to L.A. to write movies. I’d just finished what I considered to be a hot screenplay, and I hired Glenn to critique it. His written notes were superb, zeroing in on the script’s flaws and suggesting artful fixes. But Glenn did more than just write me a critique – he sat down with me and went over the script page by page. He managed to boost my confidence in my talent even as he convinced me that I still had a lot to learn about the craft of screenwriting.

Glenn invited me to join his Monday night screenwriting group. Every week, five or six aspiring screenwriters would meet, read our pages aloud, and then Glenn would lead a critique of them. The class was a crucial turning point in my development as a screenwriter. Thanks to Glenn’s instruction, I improved that “hot screenplay” enough to secure a manager, and then a William Morris agent.

I’m now working on my third studio assignment, a modern thriller for Paramount Pictures. I have another film I wrote for Paramount titled: “The Art of Making Money,” which I worked on for months in Glenn’s workshop. Once a director is attached, I’m crossing my fingers it will be my first film to be produced.

Glenn is a terrific teacher with a deep knowledge of the craft. What I loved about studying under him is that he never wasted our time on vague “theory,” instead, he hammered home the core principles of good screenwriting and taught us specific techniques that paid off, time and again, in stronger characters, better scenes, and ultimately, deeper and more satisfying scripts.

Glenn also has the one quality no one can teach – he cares about his students. I’ve often seen him read his students’ work outside of class, or cut his price for those who were struggling. With Glenn, the student always came first.

I can think of no better place for Glenn than a classroom or lecture hall, and no luckier students than those who get the chance to learn from him.